Trip Report - Outer Banks, Nc w/Pics

Went down to visit a friend in Kill Devil Hills, Nc the weekend of June 16th, 2007.

First place he took me too was High Cotton BBQ in Kitty Hawk

Their two house sauces along with Texas Pete

My friend ordered the pork BBQ plate which came with two sides (he chose fries and slaw) along with some corn sticks ala Parker's BBQ in Wilson

I got the three meat combo which includes pork BBQ, beef brisket and fried chicken along with fries, slaw and corn sticks as well

Overall the meal was good - wasn't incredible impressed with the brisket but the pork BBQ and fried chicken were pretty good. There prices were pretty reasonable for my whole three meat combo meal was approx $12. The sweet tea was also pretty good and the waitress made sure to keep my glass full with refills

Next on the list was breakfast at the Jolly Roger in Kill Devil Hills

The front of the building

Your greeted by the pirate as soon as you enter

Definitely roadfood atmosphere

More of a "Christmas" theme inside than any

Started off with their bread pudding (which is some sort of special on their breakfast menu) served with a bourbon sauce

My friend ordered the eggs benedict, he didn't seem to crazy about it but I thought that it looked pretty good

I ordered eggs (scrambled with sausage), potatoes and sausage gravy

Just a close up of the eggs scrambled with sausage

The sausage gravy was served on the side, I just had some room between the eggs and potatoes so I just filled that area in

The meal also came with your choice of either toast or a pancake - I obviously went for the pancake

I thought the meal here was good - they had some unique items on their menu which I thought was good. The bread pudding I had was decent, I wouldn't really go out of my way to order it again anytime soon but I'd still recommend it for you bread pudding fanatics. It was definitely one of the most firm pieces of "pudding" I've ever had.

Next we were of to John's Drive In in I think it was Kill Devil Hills

A small place, outside eating only

Their menu

Looking right across the street, standing in John's parking lot - not a bad view huh? The place is literally on the beach

Looking down the street from the parking lot

First I ordered the banana/pineapple milkshake

It was really good even though it just consisted of vanilla ice cream with chucks of banana/pineapple. I was hoping it would have been banana ice cream with chuncks of pineapple but it was definitely good the way that it came, I'd definitely order it again

My friend also recommend the mahi sandwhich. I was expecting to get grilled or blackened mahi but no such luck. It was fried and came very greasy. I usually don't like my mahi fried which is probably why I didn't enjoy the sandwich all that much. I'll still go back just for a milkshake and maybe try another sandwich

Back for some BBQ, this time headed down to Suey's BBQ in Nags Head

Front of the building

Some additional benches outside. Here you order at the counter and pick up at the counter and sit inside or outside or wherever you can find a spot

One of my friends ordered the pork BBQ sandwich which came with two sides, he chose the mashed potatoes with gravy and collards.

My other friend also ordered the pork BBQ sandwich but his sides were slaw and fried okra

I just ordered the pork BBQ plate with sides of fries and slaw and of course a couple of hushpuppies as well

They also offer a rib sauce and a NC style BBQ sauce along with some Texas Pete

It's really small inside, only room for about five or six tables or so but at least they have some outside seating. Pretty similar to High Cotton but maybe a notch better.

Finally our last stop was Pigman's BBQ in Kill Devil Hills

The front of the building

Old Pigman himself

The menu - here you order at the counter when you walk in, then sit down and they bring your food out to you - no waitstaff

It was pretty nice inside, we got there as soon as they opened which is why nobody was really there yet

I ordered the pork BBQ sandwich (this was actually a "large" or "jumbo" sandwich) that came with a side of fries, slaw and hushpuppies

After I topped it off with slaw and the spicy BBQ sauce

Not your average hushpuppies, not as authentic as I expected but to my surprise I enjoyed them very much

The pork here seemed a little fatty and had more of a "smoked" flavor than the other BBQ places. I really don't think they cook over wood, it's probably just flavoring that they've added. Also this syle is more shredded/pulled while the other two places were more chopped or pulled in larger chunks. I wasn't to big on the style at Pigman's

Overall all three BBQ joints were decent - I wouldn't rank any of them over any of the big names which include White Swan and Smithfield Chicken and BBQ and definitely not anywhere near Parkers, Ralphs, Wilburs or Skylight Inn. I guess I'd have to say that the best pork was served at Suey's followed by High Cotton then Pigmans.

Nice roadfood report. I gotta get over to the Carolinas sometime. The bread pudding sounded good, although I don't know if I'd want it for breakfast...haven't had the taste of Bourbon that early since, well....

Nice job on the food pics and thanks for the post. I'm sure you'll have the NC folks telling you ya shoulda trid this or ya shoulda tried that, I'd say it all looks pretty good to me, even at 6:30 in the AM.

I just returned from a trip to the Banks a few days ago. This was a week in a big house with the in-laws and lots of kids, so we didn't get out as much as usual.

We did make it to both John's and Sooey's (pictured above).

John's was AMAZING! Our fried mahi wasn't greasy, it was lightly yet perfectly battered. I ordered it first in the "boat" with good fries and then a couple of days later on the roll with tartar. The roll had a nice crunch, but because the mahi was so fresh and tasty, it worked better in its purer form. The chocolate peanut butter shake was nearly too thick for a straw, but simple and delicious!!

We picked up a family platter to go at Sooey's (The Scarborough Faire, Duck, location). The pork on top was good for sandwiches, and the extra vinegar-based sauce worked. However, by the next day the pork got clumpy for lunch. The racks of ribs were a little too fatty and alternately hot and cold. They were average at best, as were the sides. Again, this was a huge take-out order, but we only drove a mile with it. Gotta give a thumbs down to Sooey's, especially after paying $ 155 to feed nine adults and three kids.

Another recommendation though would be Sam and Omie's in Nags Head (Route 12). Killer fried oyster sandwich with perfectly sweetened tea.

A place I love to go to when I go to OBX is Cpt.Frank's! Great hot dogs and a wonderful personality! It is located in Nags Head, can't remember the mile marker!Great report! I've never stopped at Pigman's, food looked good!

I would've chosen the pancake, too! (And I don't usually, simply because of the calorie factor--and I don't diet!) Then when I saw that milkshake with the big chunks of fruit, all I could think about was that those would've been SO good TOGETHER!! LOL!! Yum.